Side gauge for sheet feeders



May 6, 1952 F. R. BELLUCHE SIDE GAUGE FOR SHEET FEEDERS Filed NOV. 7, 1949 bwe Mow v Frank REFUND/7E Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'SIDE GAUGE FOR SHEET FEEDERS Frank R.jBelluche, Racine, Wis., assignor 'to The Christensen Machine Company, Racine, Wis., incorporation of Wisconsin Application November 7, 1949;. Serial 'No. 125,899

Claims. 1

This invention relates to sheet feeders for printing presses and the like and refers particularly to sheet feeders designed for handling cardboard andother similar relatively stiff material.

In the feeding of sheets to printing presses and similar machines each sheet must be front and side registered before it enters the press. This entails bringing the sheet to rest with its leading edge bearing against front guides and shifting the sheet laterally to bring one side edge thereof against 'a' side guide. Obviously to be effective the engagement of the sheet with these front and side guides must be firm. Atthe high speeds now prevalent" in sheet feeding and printing this presents quite a problem, especially in the feeding of cardboardandother'simllar relatively stiff material due to its tendency to rebound from the guides.

It is, "therefore, thepurpose of this invention to provide animproved sheet feeder especially adaptedfor handling cardboard and other relatively stiff material and by which rebound and over travel of the sheet is precluded in a simple manner.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

Thegaccompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode sofar devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which the single figure is a perspective view more or less diagrammatically illustrating a sheet feeder embodying this invention.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates the receiving cylinder of a printing press or other machine to be fed and which machine is equipped with the customary front guides 6 against which the leading edge of the sheet S entering the press comes to rest just before the grippers (not shown) on the cylinder 5 take the sheet and draw it into the machine. The front guides 6 are, of course, movable out of the path of the sheet and as is customary the actuation thereof is timed with the press and feeder mechanism.

The manner in which the sheet is fed off the pile or bank is not involved in the instant inven- 2 tion and consequently has not been illustrated. It is sufiicient to note that any suitable separating and feeding means may be employed to feed the sheets to the front guides of the press and into position to be acted upon by the control mechanism of this invention.

This control mechanism comprises two superimposed rolls 1 and 8 between which the sheets are gripped in their passage to the front guides. Both rolls extend across the full width of the feeder so as to encompass the widest sheet that may be handled. The lower roll 8 is journalled in suitable bearings mounted in the side frames of thefeeder (not shown). The upper roll I is journalled in bearings carried by the outer ends of arms 9 fixed to a cross shaft l0, and which in turn :is rockably mounted in the side frames of the feeder. Hence, by imparting rocking'motion to the shaft ID as by means of a crank II and a link H! which connects to the drive mechanism of the feeder, the top roll I may be raised and lowered. The purpose of liftingthe top roll 1 is to leave the sheetfree as it is drawn into the press.

Both rolls are positively driven in opposite directions at a uniform surface speed through gearing IS, the teeth of which are longenough to accommodate the slight up and down motion of the roll I as this roll is lifted off a sheet.

As shown the cooperating rolls! and B are mounted in juxtaposition to the .point of sheet entry into the press and also closely adjacent to a side guide M at one side of the feeder. Preferably this side guide has two sections which embrace the lower roll 8. The sheets are moved laterally against the side guides by a yoke-shaped pusher l5 which embraces the top roll 1 and has its lower ends depending below the level of the sheet to engage the adjacent side edge thereof and upon reciprocation move the sheet laterally against the side guides.

The, pusher I 5 is fixed to a cross rod l6 slidably mounted in suitable bearings l'l, only one of which is illustrated. A spring [8 confined between the bearin I1 and a collar [9 fixed to the rod I6 yieldingly urges the rod I6 and the pusher l5 thereon towards the side guide.

The opposite end of the rod I6 is connected to a crank 20 which is rocked about the axis of its shaft 2| by a cam 22 having a depression 23 into which the cam follower 24 drops once each cycle to allow the spring [8 to draw the pusher and consequently a sheet engaged thereby toward the side guides N.

If the surfaces of both rolls 1 and 8 were metal and the top roll rested on the sheet it would be impossible to move the sheet laterally. To allow such lateral shifting of the sheet notwithstanding the fact that it is in the grip of the rolls 1 and 8, the top roll I is covered with plush 25 or other suitable high nap fabric material.

It has been found that a roll so constructed and mounted in the 'manner described and with both rolls positively driven at the same surface speed but slow enough to retard the advance of the sheet, rebound and over travel of the sheet as it comes up against the front guides and is pulled sidewise against the side guides is entirely eliminated. In other words, the plush roll 1 coacting with the smooth surfaced metal roll 8 maintains a sufficient grip upon the sheets to preclude rebound and over travel without, however, interfering with lateral shifting'of the sheet as required to effect side register.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a sheet feeder especially adapted for the feeding of cardboard and similar relatively stiff sheets, the combination of: front and side guides; means for moving the sheet sidewise against the side guide; and means engageable with opposite sides of a sheet for precluding over travel of the sheet as it is fed against the front guides and moved against the side guides, said means comprising complementary rollers between which the sheet moves, each of said rollers having an axial length at least equal to the width of the widest sheet to be handled, and one of the rollers having a high nap fabric surface to yieldingly engage one side of the sheet and thus cooperate with the surface of the other roll to maintain an impositive grip upon a sheet sufficiently effective to prevent over travel of the sheet, without interfering with movement of the sheet sidewise against the side guides.

2. In a sheet feeder of the character described: cooperating top and bottom rollers between which the sheet moves as it is fed forwardly, said top and bottom rollers extendin across the entire width of the feeder so as to encompass the widest sheet that may be handled; means for positively driving both rollers with the same surface speed; and a surface'covering of plush or the like on one of said rollers cooperable with the surface of the other roller to impositively grip a sheet therebetween.

3. In a sheet feeder for printing presses and the like: a side guide; means for moving sheets laterally against the side guide to effect side register; cooperating top and bottom rollers between which the sheets move to have their opposite sides engaged and acted upon by the rollers; means mounting said rollers adjacent to the side guide in positions, extending axially in the direction of such lateral side registering motion of the sheets; means for positively rotating both rollers at a uniform surface speed; and a plush-like surface covering on one of said rollers cooperable with the surface of the other roller to impositively grip a sheet therebetween so that lateral movement of the sheet relative to both rollers may be effected.

4. In a feeder for printing presses and the like: a pair of cooperating top and bottom rollers between which the sheets move in their advance to the front guides of the press and engageable with opposite sides of the sheets; side guides for effecting side register of the sheets; a reciprocable pusher embracing one of the rolls at the side .of the feeder remote from the side guide and engageable with the adjacent edge of a sheet between the rolls for pushing the sheet sidewise against the side guide; means for reciprocating the pusher; drive means connected with both of said rolls to positively drive the same with a uniform surface speed; and a plush-like surface covering on one of said rolls cooperating with the surface of the other roll to impositively grip a sheet therebetween so that sidewise movement of the sheet may be effected.

5. In a sheet feeder, the combination set forth in claim l further characterized by the provision of means for periodically lifting the roll having the plush-like surface covering to free the sheet therefrom as it is drawn into the press.

- FRANK R. BELLUCHE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Schutt June 5, 1945 

